Breathing
by RemiNyao
Summary: His life was always normal, until he met him... But no one could have predicted exactly how much would change in so little time. Riku has people to rely on, but he'll have to deal when he finds the only way to go is on your own. :Axel/Riku: :AU:
1. Sleep

**Aaaand we're back! Here's to the start of a new story. I promise you, it'll get better after this chapter! There are more things in store in the future-- a lot of them.**

**Enjoy the crappy beginning!**

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_The first thing he heard were crashes of thunder. Then he saw the lightning. It was white, pure; streaking across pitch black skies with no clouds from which to harvest the energy. It was as if the heavens themselves were shattering and repairing in each milisecond it took to light up the barren earth, forever stalemated in a battle with the forceful light outside its ebony barriers. He felt shivers squirm down his spine at the thought of what would happen should one or the other falter, leading their enemy to victory._

_As his feet shifted at the crack of sudden thunder, dust exploded into the air around him, coaxing out a few short coughs. The dry ground, barren of life and hope, served for nothing but an empty wasteland for the lost and damned to wander in search of pointless meaning. But pointless as meaning was in a world without a word of comfort or love-- or even insult, it was still meaning; and maybe it would lead to forgiveness for his transgressions. Perhaps it would be his second chance, or third-- or however many his tainted soul was up to. Still... Even if it wasn't... It was still an answer. He knew that much. He knew he would still be searching, and he didn't know when-- or if he would ever find what he was looking for. But, each new moment was a new chance to find out. Each door was an opportunity._

_The world worked like that, didn't it?_

_The dust was becoming unbearable. Each twitch as a response to the raging war above brought a new cloud into the air around him, making it hard to breathe. He was choking, eyes watering and chest becoming pained. He raised a hand to grip his shirt, stopping when he realized that his head wasn't pounding. In fact, his heart wasn't racing at all... _

_As he attempted to feel over his chest and find the pulse, a loud clack took his attention, eyes snapping over to his left. The dust was clearing, and in its wake was... a doorframe. There was no door there, simply empty space, the same on the other side as it had been before the dust had taken to the sky. But why was it there? _

_His footsteps suddenly were no longer pulling up the loose earth below him as he stepped toward that wooden frame. Each door... was an opportunity, he thought as he touched the frame. As if upsetting the world around him, some unknown force threw him back several yards, sending him rolling and tumbling on the ground. As he landed on his back, he stared up at the sky. His eyes widened at the sight of rapidfire lightning, and soon the whole sky was a webwork that not even the most skilled black widow could begin to compare to. The war was intensifying above him, and in this final battle, he knew the winner would be decided. And that was exactly what occurred, as one piece of pure dark fell straight out of the sky. The light poured down, streaking through the dust and dark and putting a spotlight right on his shaking body. He rolled forward and onto his feet--_

_--just in time to miss being crushed by the obsidian shard of sky. _

_He stood, petrified with horror as the light prevailed, sending piece after piece of the atmosphere down at him. Each one hit hard, almost sending him back onto his behind, and he fought with every desperate part of him to keep his balance as the dust clouded his vision. He waved his arms in front of him, trying to breathe through the veil of dirt, turning with squinted eyes to try to see what was where. The light was becoming mottled, but as he heard another clack and turned, he was met with hope and escape. The path to the doorframe was completely clear of any obstructions. _

_He started on the clear way, eyes continuously glancing upward to the sky. As he neared the door, the final pieces of the heavens fell. He broke into a sudden sprint and began racing the black slabs of the world's apocalypse. It was either be crushed, or escape... and he planned to survive. But his escape was endangered by the falling rocks as well. He slid on the ground, getting to the frame just as the weight of the sky itself splintered and shattered the wood. His arms flew up to cover his face as the black void came over him and--_

Seafoam eyes shot open, body lurching upright. The sheets fell from the milk-white skin of his chest, and Riku raised his hand to cover the left side of his face, fingers stretching into his bangs and over his eye. He shook his head, breaths moving shakily through him. He then threw his sheets off, slipping out of the bed and going to the large, arching window. He gripped the jet-black fabric of the sheets and pulled them back, sending blinding sunlight through the dark room. The white mid-morning light brought everything to life-- the loveseat, bookshelf, dressers, closet door, canopy bed, and the desk in the far corner of the large space.

With a sigh, Riku made his way to the closet, picking out his outfit for the day and changing into the grey jeans and white shirt, slipping the thin black jacket overtop and calling it good. His footsteps were unheard as he padded down the steps to the kitchen, sliding into view of the fridge, then the pantry, then the cabinet. It was cereal again this morning, but he wasn't complaining. If he were a little less lazy, he'd be making a mess of the kitchen at every opportunity. When he first woke up, he wanted simplicity for himself. And on days like this, when he had the large house to himself, it was a luxury just to sit in the parlor with a bowl of cereal and milk and not have to worry about looking proper or putting his feet up on the couch or the coffee table.

Which he did as soon as he sat down.

Still, though, he couldn't fully enjoy his time alone this morning. That was the third time this week he'd had a dream like that. They were always so... real. He didn't know if he could classify them as nightmares, even. They were more like windows into a sub-reality that was just beyond his actual fingertips. Maybe that was what frightened him so much; such powerful things might be just beyond the reach of his consciousness, and who knew what would happen if he moved to far away? Would he be thrown into a world like that, with ultimately no escape from the wars being waged? It was a little much to bite into, yeah, but... he felt something in those dreams was dangerously true.

--not that he'd let anyone else know these things. Riku had more important things to care about than the night's mysteries. He had a whole day of relaxation ahead of him. His parents were going to be gone for the rest of the day. He'd be alone, allowed to do whatever he could get away with. There were no errands to run, no chores to do... He was a free man. He was a single-standing, free soul--

He was spilling his breakfast.

The sudden ringing that filled the air and the buzzing of his pants pocket was not only awkward, but startling to the highest degree when one was stuck in an empty, silent room. He scrambled, trying to clean up most of the mess before he groped for the source of the abomination to sound that was concealed in his now-wet pocket. He managed to get it out and answer it just before it stopped ringing, not getting a chance to see who it was. Riku threw out a quick 'hello?', but with no reply. He tried to get a response twice more before giving a short curse and hanging up, tossing the phone onto the couch.

Some days, he _hated_ cellphones.

Looking down at himself, the teen sighed and went to the kitchen to find paper towels. Spotting them in their usual place on the counter, he went to grab a few, heading back and cleaning up the mess. As he brought everything back into the kitchen, setting the bowl and spoon in the sink and throwing away the used paper towels, he glanced at his pants. They needed to be washed now, and he couldn't wear them around.

Riku ran up to his room to change, slipping into a looser pair of blue jeans. The grey ones were flung over his arm, and he moved back down the stairs, making a quick stop to the laundry room. He laid out the jeans, looking for the stain removal spray his parents kept. As he turned, Riku managed to do the one thing he didn't need to do: his elbow hit the bottle of bleach sitting on top of the dryer, and as it hit the washing machine next to it, the cap cracked, leaking out the bleach-- all over his favorite jeans.

The exasperated teen groaned loudly. "You've _got_ to be kidding me...." He went back to the kitchen, taking care of the same routine with clean-up and going to the front door. Next to the door were a few pairs of shoes, and he found his own to slip into. So much for a relaxation day. Now he had to go to the store to replace both his pants and the bottle of bleach... maybe the roll of paper towels, as well.

Stepping into the parlor one last time to grab his cellphone, just in case, he made his way to and out the front door.

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**Obviously, my allergies and lack of sleep are causing my writing to fail seriously. But I swear, I'll get back on track. It's probably also a little tougher, writing as Riku, since I usually write as Axel or Roxas.**

**But anyway, there are plenty more characters on the lineup and plenty of plot! So stay tuned for chapter two~**

**~Remi~**


	2. On The Frontlines

**Celebrate, sweeties. This fic? Far from dead. I'm back, I have plans, and I'm gonna take this as far as I possibly can. As a promise for updates, I'mma tell you now, I have most of the third chapter done already and you can expect it sooner rather than later.**

**Enjoy!**

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The stone halls were empty in the down time of busywork. Doors were closed, no laughter or chatter ringing through the still air. The only sound was that of heavy breathing and quick steps, sprinting full force toward an entryway. They darted down the hall, around the corner, hit the door and jerked it open. The breaths were panicked, pants wracking the body of the thin-framed boy and echoing against the cold stone surrounding him. His lungs burned as he rounded another corner, pressing off the wall at the sharp turn and stumbling into another rhythm of feet against floor. The clap of shoes against the stairs and the thud of his weight as he rushed in ascension was loud and easily heard, or would have been if there had been anyone around to hear it.

The staircase spiraled, his breath hitched as a stitch in his side formed suddenly, and his legs burned from his calves up to his thighs. It didn't matter. The clouded mind made him forget the pain, only see that big bolted door at the end of the staircase, at the top of the southern tower. His body longed for rest—he'd run nonstop up and down stairs from the other side of the fortress just to reach here—but he refused to give in to his fatigue.

By the time he reached the top of the stairs he was worn and tired, but the destination was just beyond the thick wooden door in front of him. He crashed himself into it, shoving it open and nearly falling inside. The door slammed against the wall with a loud crack, startling the two occupants of the room. The boy staggered and stumbled, but caught his balance and stopped. He gripped his knees, bent over as he gasped for breath. His eyes raised, and then the rest of him tried to follow. He got halfway to standing up straight before he gave in and began to move. His target, a middle-aged man on the older side with black hair tied back into a ponytail, was unmoving; even when the boy brought his fist up and slammed it into his chest.

"You knew about this!" He barked, almost surprising himself with his ability to call forth that much voice after having run for so long.

The man simply reached his right hand up and settled it into his attacker's blond hair. He was gentle, at first, then gripped the hair slightly and pulled his head up so the boy was looking at him full-on. "You mind telling me exactly _why_ you're throwing a temper tantrum, tiger?"

"He's gone again. He got another job, and you didn't tell me about it!" The boy grabbed the arm of the man gripping his hair, pulling it away and shoving it down back at the man's side.

The reaction was blunt—a loud, piercing laughter that made its recipient flinch and flare. "Since when is it _my_ job to tell _you_ when we send our hired help out to do what we hired him to do?"

"Don't play around with me, Xigbar!" The boy raged.

"Who's playing with who? He's supposed to be _your_ 'best friend'. Don't you think he'd tell you if he wanted you to know?"

At first, his reaction to the hurtful remark was to stop in shock, anger quelled for a split second. When it came rushing back, he raised his fist, ready to deliver another blow to the older man when a hand caught his fist. "That's enough, Roxas!"

The blond jerked away and backed up, blue eyes narrowing a glare at the boy opposite him. The mediator simply looked right back at him, eyebrows turned up in a manner conveying concern. A soft voice came forward, in an attempt to bring Roxas down from his rage. "That's enough… I know you're angry, but we can't do anything about this. We found another candidate for the Heroes, but we can't contact him without going to him in person."

"Why are we looking for recruits on another planet?" Roxas' voice was quieted, but far from calmed. "That's stupid; and it's risky! You don't think travel between worlds will use enough energy to attract attention? What if he's caught? What if _we're_ caught?"

Xigbar cut in, crossing his arms and narrowing his eyes at the boy. "As if. If _we're_ caught, we're not alone. We can defend ourselves, and that's something you should know full well."

Roxas wasn't satisfied with his answer, and it showed in how he kept his feet planted firmly on the floor, hands fisted at his sides and entire body visibly tense. "Well, what about Axel? Why'd we send him out there without anybody with him?"

The other boy shook his head, reaching out and putting an apologetic hand on Roxas' shoulder. "Roxas, I'm sorry. You know him better than anyone—He can take care of himself! Especially on a world where there aren't any real threats. It's too risky to send over a bunch of people, and he was trained for this."

Roxas swatted the hand away from him. "No, Sora. He was trained to fight and do odd jobs, not to hunt people down and play fetch on other worlds." The brunet looked disappointed in the result of his attempted comfort, shuffling back a bit. With most other people, he would try to be optimistic and happy, but he knew Roxas well enough to know that if he tried to cheer him up like that when he was as pissed as he was, all Sora would get was bitter words and a black eye. It was better to try a softer approach with him, work in some logic, make him _think_ so he forgot his anger.

Unfortunately, the resident adult found much amusement in tweaking his protégés' soft spots and making emotional matters worse for them. Picking at Roxas' protective streak when it came to Axel was one of his favorite pastimes. "Playing celestial fetch _is_ an odd job, Roxas." The older man chuckled at his own humor, a grin creeping up upon his face. "He's a mercenary—a hired hand. He does what we tell him to, or he doesn't eat. Not that it looks like he eats much anyway."

"Quit _joking around!_" Roxas' voice had regained its bark. "He's a mercenary; that's exactly what he is. Mercenaries _don't do_ what you make him do. They protect people. They retrieve stolen goods. They clean your kitchen—they don't go to other planets to kidnap people and bring them back so you can force them to serve your cause. We have plenty of people _here_ that could make perfectly good soldiers! Why are we going to another damned planet for this, anyway?"

Sora raised his voice a bit. "Because this one's not the same as everyone else."

Roxas' body remained tense as he stilled, growing suddenly quiet. He turned his head, slowly making eye contact with Sora, then glancing more quickly over to Xigbar, who shook his head and sighed.

"I was telling your brother here just what was going on when you came bursting in. Don't say I'm favoring him over you by telling him first, because you're hardly ever anywhere to be found, especially when we don't have Axel to track you with. If you actually came and trained when I told you to, you'd have been here with Sora in the first place."

Roxas looked down and away for a moment, a quick flash of guilt hitting him. He tried to ignore it—he had more pressing matters to care for, like why his best friend was risking so much for just one person who didn't even know any of them could ever exist. He steeled himself and looked up at Xigbar. "Who is he?"

"Not who, what. Soldiers are expendable, right? Right. They can die, and we have more. Hate to say it, tiger, but that's how it goes." Xigbar lowered his gaze, then shook his head. He then promptly raised it again and smirked. "But! What do we have that we _can't_ afford to lose? Mana-users? Gunmen? Swordsmen? No, those are all soldiers, right?"

Roxas narrowed his eyes. "… Are you saying he's—" His blue eyes widened suddenly, and he jolted back a bit. "Is he—"

"A user of the Key." Sora's voice was hushed and excited. It had been almost a year since they'd found another of their kind. Roxas turned and stared at him, mouth agape.

"You're not serious. On another planet?! We found one all the way out there?"

Xigbar raised his hands, setting them on the brothers' heads and ruffling both of their already-messy hair. "That we did, and that's why your buddy has been training for this mission for a few weeks."

His words made Roxas stop dead in his tracks. He stared up at the taller man, face falling and becoming much more somber. That was, until his prior rage exploded back into his veins. "A few _weeks?!_ He's known about this thing for weeks and didn't tell me shit about it! I swear, I oughtta… I—augh!!" He threw his hands up into the air, turning around and storming toward the door. Sora found himself laughing along with Xigbar at the blond's reaction.

Before he managed his escape, Roxas paused, just as his hand was touching the handle on the door. He narrowed his eyes in thought, and turned around. His anger seemed to have disappeared quickly, or at least temporarily. He slowly made his way back to Xigbar and Sora, a look of skepticism on his face.

"So you're telling me... We found a user of the Key on another planet." His arms fell to his side, and he raised his head a bit more, gaze locking onto Xigbar. "How?"

"How what?"

"How did we find him? Did he try to contact us?" There had to be a good reason for the sudden interest.

"As if." Xigbar shrugged. "He's waking up. Probably has no idea, either. His world's a little sheltered to the idea of 'magic', if you know what I mean."

Roxas straightened. "So he has no clue what he is? Is that why Axel was sent out there all of a sudden, to explain things before he wakes up all the way?"

Xigbar looked between the two of them. This is as far as he'd gotten in the discussion with Sora before they were interrupted. Just as he opened his mouth to continue, a voice came from the doorway. "It has a far deeper meaning than just that, boy."

Sora and Xigbar stood at attention, and Roxas turned around, confused, before following suit. A tall figure, on the thinner side, stood with an almost forced majestic air about him. Long, blond hair that was beginning to pale with age flowed far down past his shoulders. There was an eerily smug grin on his face. "If we have noticed the energy this other Keybearer resonates with, then so have the Heartless. We simply cannot stand around while they rally their minions and prepare an assault on him. He's barely waking, but reaching an important climax, and is currently at his weakest and most vulnerable state before his powers are fully awakened. Without knowledge of what he is, he cannot help himself, let alone us. Axel has been sent to find and retrieve this Keybearer, but also to protect him and ensure that he reaches us safe and sound."

Roxas was less than ecstatic about the information given. "W-wait… Is he not coming home soon?"

The man scoffed, and his smile widened. "How could we bring him back so soon? You're not thinking clearly, Roxas. If we used that much energy now, we would bring our own defenses down and make us vulnerable."

"So you're just gonna leave him there? How long?"

"Until it is safe. It could take a few weeks."

Roxas started, fists clenching. "What do you mean, a few weeks?! You sent him out there _alone,_ and expect him to fend off every bit of the Heartless sent to take out that new Keybearer? Why didn't you send someone else with him? Someone who could protect him?"

"You mean someone like _you,_ Roxas?" The man leaned over, narrowing his cold eyes at the boy. His gaze made Roxas tense, but he didn't back down; it wasn't in him to do so. "Do you intend to jeopardize everything we stand for, boy? You are one of the few Keybearers we will ever have. Do not forget that."

"I think that's enough, Vexen," Xigbar cut in, shoulders relaxed by now. "He gets it, let it go."

Vexen straightened himself, and Sora moved in to grab Roxas by the arm. He pulled at him, urging him around the tall man and out of the room. The brunet shut the door behind them.

As if given a cue, Vexen spoke. "You're growing bold."

Xigbar scoffed. "As if. I've always been bold, you're just too busy in that little world of yours to notice."

"That's enough, Xigbar. You should learn to hold your tongue." Vexen glared, and Xigbar felt a slight tingle as the air grew a little colder. He tried to ignore it, simply rolling his eyes.

"Don't make me laugh. You might be the head honcho around here, but don't expect the rest of the Heroes to come save your ass out of undying loyalty. You're lucky you haven't driven Roxas off yet. You know Sora goes if he does, and then you'll lose your best fighter when he gets back from his trip."

"They will not leave, Xigbar."

"Oh yeah? What makes you so sure they won't get tired of the way you treat them?"

Vexen shook his head, turning and moving to the window. He pushed it open and looked out, surveying the stronghold grounds and the valley beyond the hill on top of which it sat. The grass was a lush green, the far hillside dotted with patches of trees and small ponds. Below the tower, soldiers and civilians busied themselves with everyday activities. Mothers were bartering for the ingredients they needed to feed their families, young girls were hanging laundry to dry, men were in the forge and moving supplies from one place to another. On the horizon, covering the southern sky, was a veil of shadowed sky.

"These people... None of them have any safer place to go. We've been building our defenses for years now. North of us is nothing but warcamps and villages devoted to supplying this army. If Roxas wants to leave, the only place he will escape us is the ocean, or the Darklands. I doubt he wants to bring those he loves to the hands of the Heartless."

Xigbar followed after him casually, taking a long look out the window as he contemplated his response. He stared out at the darkness in the distance, before gesturing toward it. "We've had a lot of time to prepare. You think it'll be enough to stop all that?"

With a heavy sigh and resigned voice, Vexen gave his answer.

"... It will have to be."

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**Alright! I know this chapter might have been a little bit confusing, but it's okay. Things will come together in the next few chapters.**

**Next time, it's Axel.**

**Peace!**

**~Remi**


	3. The City Streets

**Welcome to me being active, kids. This is probably the fastest I will EVER update a story, so please don't be disappointed if it takes a couple weeks to get chapter four up. D: Anywho, thanks to those of you who have read in the past few days, and who have faved me and this story. Your support makes this worth it.**

**Anyway, enough with the blathering. On with the story!**

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The city was an optimal choice for a manhunt; a wide-open range of never-before-seen faces and energies, just waiting to be picked out and up by the hunter at hand—for a price, of course. In this playing field, Axel was the hunter. He held almost all of the cards: the location, background information, target description, and 'weaponry'. The final steps were acquiring the target, which he was most definitely looking forward to, and collecting payment for delivering said target unharmed (or mildly harmed, but that was the choice of the target, not himself) to the employer. He could only hope this wouldn't take long—as exhilarating as the city was, Axel knew full well that he would tire of it soon enough.

Taking long, yet casual strides along the sidewalk with his hands in his pockets, poisonous eyes took a bite out of every bit of his surroundings, tasted the data, then spat out anything unimportant. It was an ideal strategy for gaining personal experience with the location of the job, but with a place this large, a problem arose: None of this experience was worth having, for there wasn't a single trace of this target anywhere on these streets. He knew what area of the city he was _supposed_ to be in, but he'd been walking for two hours and hadn't found a single thing. His information said the kid was seventeen, came from a more than well-off family, and went to the private high school in the area he'd been designated to search. Apparently the children weren't in session at the time, however, so Axel had been forced to hunt for the mysterious teen's home.

A group of teenagers exited a small café nearing the street corner in Axel's path. His attempt to side-step the rowdy bunch was thwarted thoroughly when two boys near the back began to playfully shove each other, and the roughhousing went awry. The boy closest to Axel's left was sent crashing into the middle of the group, causing three or four to stumble into the young man. He reached to catch a falling girl, righted her, then gritted his teeth and gave a short nod when they apologized, getting away from the physical contact and pushing down the sidewalk.

He hated that part of the otherworldly jobs. Every time he touched one of these people, the shock of their energy was so intense it made his head spin. Different races had different signatures, and to someone so in tune to the energies those signatures produced, finding one so different from his own was a shocker. It was at these moments that Axel asked himself why he continued to work for a group like HERO. And then he remembered his debt to pay, the warm bed, the hot food… And he remembered Roxas. The kid was waiting for him, wasn't he? Back home, where he was probably arguing with everyone and being difficult. Axel was almost certain that his best friend was giving Xigbar hell. Roxas always did that when the order was given for an 'out-of-town' mission. He hated Axel having to go where he couldn't help him, but it couldn't be avoided that targets away from their home world were impossible to reach without the use of teleportation; a power only a select few in the world (including Axel) had the liberty of using.

Lost in his train of thought, Axel began to lose focus on the task at hand. His movements became more fluid instead of precise, and his eyes lost their attention to detail, glancing over the surrounding area with an empty gaze. Slowly, the thought drifted in through a high tower window that he should probably take a quick break. Two hours was a long time to walk; a long time to be focused so intensely. He needed a drink, maybe a bite to eat. If anything, that was one thing he could count on for this world: interesting food. They had plant life and animal life that didn't exist back home, which meant the food was always new. Even the smallest treat from a convenience store was a wonderful surprise.

Speaking of which, there was a small one coming up. Axel quickly crossed the street and went in, listening to the chiming door as it gave his entrance a bit more glamor.

The convenience store aisles were short, only raising to Axel's chest, but they were filled with goodies, each brightly colored package more promising than the next. There were chips, candy, snack cakes, jerky, sugary drinks, alcohol-- even canned goods and random supplies for around the house! ... and perhaps _other_ locations, if one so chose, Axel supposed. But why would you pass up a comfortable bed for the back seat of an old car?

The bell of the door rang once more, and Axel was jerked out of his thoughts, bringing his eyes to the door. The new customer looked average, nothing special about him. Just dark hair and eyes, and Axel immediately lost interest. He went about his business once more, and after deciding that sweet was better than straight salt, he settled his decision on a bottle of white soda and a little cherry pie treat. He brought his items to the front and picked his wallet from his pocket to get the money he was issued out. He broke a twenty over the small treats, and made his way out the door. Finding a comfortable bit of concrete, he slid down against the wall and into a seated position, tearing the package of his pie open with his teeth while opening the drink simultaneously with one hand (He used his knees to hold the bottle still). His feast began and he focused solely on it, ignoring the passersby.

Three quarters of the way down his soda, he began to let his eyes wander. His attention span was returning with the new energy the food gave him, and now he was doing a little more thinking on this job of his. Was it really the best idea to take it? Maybe. He was a mercenary, so his work could come from anyone, really, but his main employer was the leader of the Heroes. After all, he owed him. He did whatever that crotchety old man made him do, and he didn't complain. At least, not to his face. He'd spent many an hour walking the streets with Roxas, chewing up a storm about the ridiculous leader they had. Who would put someone like that in charge of the good guys, anyway? Sure, there was a war waiting on their doorstep, but he thought Xigbar would be a much better candidate for a commanding officer position like that. Not that he wasn't already in one, being second-in-command and trainer for the soldiers. Still, any shots he called had to passed by Vexen, and that? That annoyed Axel. If it weren't for the Heartless, his debt, and Roxas, he would find his work somewhere else. Being what he was, he could find money almost anywhere, if he tried.

The brush of someone's foot against Axel's leg as they passed by brought him away from his spaced-out thoughts. The teenager passing glanced toward him and gave a short muttered 'sorry', pausing and giving an odd look to him before going into the convenience store. Axel waved him off- it had been an accident anyway. It was only moments later that he realized what had just occurred.

He'd come into contact with someone from this world... and there had been no shock of seperate energies. In a flurry of motion, Axel scrambled haphazardly to his feet, and started for the door. It was then that he noticed the people staring at his odd behavior, and he thought twice before collecting himself and entering the store once more, looking calm and casual once more. Immediately, his eyes scanned the shop, looking for someone who stood out from the rest. It didn't take long to pick out the teenager holding a grocery bag and surveying the case of drinks on the wall.

He was tall-- at least, taller than Roxas and most of the people he was around. He himself was still taller, of course, which meant Vexen would tower over the poor kid. All in all, Axel couldn't say the boy didn't look nice. He had a lean build, pale skin (a nice pale, not sickly and disgusting), silver hair that went passed his shoulders, and a calmly serious facial structure with striking aquamarine eyes. Those were the easiest feature to pick out when Axel looked at him. They'd have been even more noticeable if it hadn't been for the teen's bangs hanging in front of them. Beyond the physical description of the boy, Axel found a cool air about him, and something... extraordinary. He could just imagine the fierceness he'd find in the boy's glare. He was positive it would bring his thoughts straight to the way Sora and Roxas' eyes looked when they gave him the same face.

... Well, what the hell. It couldn't hurt to find out if that were true, could it? He could go up to him, hit on him a little, get him angry, and see how it went. Either he'd have that look he should have, or he wouldn't. ... Or maybe he'd go along with it, and Axel could have some 'recreation time'. Either way, he couldn't lose, right? Right. So, he resolved to approach. He picked a good line out of his mental arsenal, and as he neared the boy, he opened his mouth...

... Only to be interrupted by a loud beeping from the watch on his wrist. Muttering a short curse, he covered his watch and turned, rushing out of the store and into the alleyway next door. He walked until he couldn't be seen before uncovering his watch and tapping the side. The screen lit up a bright blue that visibly glowed off the surface and around the whole band.

"Reporting." It was the regulation response to a call like this. For someone to be contacting him, it couldn't be good. Either something had gone seriously wrong, or he was in trouble.

_"Axel."_

"... Shit." Trouble it was.

_"You didn't tell me."_

"Hey, Roxas. Glad to see you're lively, too." Axel took a seat against a wall, resting his arm against his knee as he brought it up.

_"I'm not playing around. You really had me worried, dammit. I woke up this morning and you were _nowhere_. No one would tell me what was going on-- I had to bother Xigbar about it!"_

Just as planned.

Axel sighed, shaking his head. "I'm sorry, Rox, I would have told you, but..."

_"But nothing! You knew about this way in advance, you asshole! Vexen says you aren't coming home for weeks. You knew that, too, didn't you?"_

Ouch. He hated this part of his trips. This one was a doozy, too. "... Look, Roxas, for all I know we could be here for three days, not a week! I have to convince the kid he is what he is, then help him wake. Once he's got the Key under control, he can help us get home."

Roxas sounded less than convinced. _"And the Heartless? Did you know they'd be there, too?"_

Axel paused. His eyebrows furrowed. "... They are?" Well, shit. "Vexen didn't tell me that." The Heartless would be on this world, too? Were they here naturally, or would they be after the Keybearer? Well, that wouldn't matter for long. If the Keybearer was awakening, the Heartless both from this world and Axel's home world would be after him soon.

Apparently the fact that the Heartless being on this world was news to Axel was also news to Roxas, because he shut up for a moment or two, then came back in, sounding apprehensive. _"... You didn't know..? He didn't tell you why you had to protect this guy?"_

Axel stammered a bit before responding, sounding as incredulous as Roxas did nervous. "I had no clue, Roxas. I would have brought that up with you. This is more dangerous than a normal mission I'd take. I knew I'd be protecting him, but he never told me the Heartless would know about him."

_"... He lied to you. He said the Heartless would know almost as soon as we did. They've probably been preparing an attack all this time, and they only sent you there."_ Roxas' tone of voice was one that Axel had only heard a few times. He was worried, livid, and... there was a hint of fear in there that Axel didn't like one bit.

"Hey, man, don't sweat it. I'll be sure to contact you if something goes wrong, alright? I can take care of myself, and as long as this guy doesn't make things difficult for me, we'll be home in no time." Axel often switched to promising things he didn't know whether he could back up when it came to Roxas being upset.

Unfortunately, Roxas always called him on it. _"You don't know that. You don't know what's coming out after you. It could get you killed, Axel, don't screw around. Especially with me."_

"You have no faith in me anymore." Axel sighed heavily. "I mean it, Roxas. Have I ever let you down before?" The other thing about Axel's so-called empty promises was that he always managed to keep these insane oaths. He made things work for him, and he always came home alive, no matter the risks.

Roxas understood this, and showed it in his silence, wherein he tried to come to terms with his pride and agree with being partially wrong. _"... You're gonna get hurt."_

"Possibly." There was a soft 'mn' of somber understanding on the other end. Axel concentrated on an interestingly smooth pebble on the ground while he thought of what more to say. "... But I'm not gonna die."

_"You're damn right you're not gonna die."_ Roxas' voice was strong again, losing its hints of fear and gaining a very slight bitterness to it.

Axel knew he couldn't do anything about that one. It wasn't directed toward him, so there wasn't much he felt he even needed to do. He reached out and picked the pebble off the ground, inspecting it a bit closer for a moment before closing it in his fist and closing his eyes. "Hey, buddy. I gotta get going. I found the guy, but you called in right before I was able to talk to him. I don't wanna lose him, or this entire mission could end up screwed over."

There was a pause, then a sigh. Roxas sounded a bit more exasperated when he responded, though his anger wasn't quelled. _"... Fine. But don't you dare mess this up."_

"I won't, I promise. It's my job." Axel started to get back up to his feet, chucking the pebble down the alleyway. "Don't kill Vexen."

_"No promises."_

"Hey, man. I need to eat, and Xigbar's not allowed to pay me. If you're gonna go on a rampage, use it to go train harder so nobody can give you crap when you want time off to hang out when I'm on down time after getting back." It happened every time. Roxas shirked his training when Axel came home from a mission he didn't know about, but he was always so angry about Axel _being_ _gone_ that he would refuse to train for the duration of the mission.

Axel straightened his back, then arched a bit. _"... Hey, Axel?"_ Roxas' voice had changed suddenly, causing Axel to pause mid-stretch. It had gained a softer tone, one that meant Roxas was unsure, perhaps worried, but felt foolish for feeling that way. He didn't let most people see that part of him-- just Axel and Sora, usually.

"... What's wrong?" Other than the obvious.

_"... Why didn't you tell me you were leaving..?"_

Axel quieted for a moment, relaxing his muscles and sighing out. "You have a nasty habit of getting down when you know I'm leaving. Hanging out with you is supposed to be fun, and I'd rather sacrifice myself for a few punches when I get back than spend a week watching you be miserable and pessemistic."

There was a long pause on the receiving end of Axel's answer. For a moment, Axel thought he might have sounded superficial, and that had hurt Roxas. When he cut back in, Axel knew for sure he felt kicked. _"... Sorry."_ He didn't say that too often.

Axel felt the word hit him right in the gut. This kid always knew how to make him feel like a total dick. ... Which was a big deal, since he could be a total dick to a lot of people and not feel a damned thing. "Hey, it's not your fault. I just don't like seeing my best bud upset, you know?" There was an exasperated sigh. "Look, I'll make it up to you when I get back, okay?"

_"... Alright. Make it home okay."_

The faintest of smiles crossed Axel's face. Roxas could be seriously adorable when he lost his edge. It was one of the endearing things about him that made Axel his proud protector when it came to anything but a fight. "Okay. I will. I'll be contacting Xigbar or Vexen with updates, so make sure you're where you're supposed to be so they can find you."

_"Okay."_

"I'll see you when I get back."

_"See you."_

The glow of Axel's watch died out, and he let his hand drop down to his side. His eyes closed, and he stayed still for a moment. After all that chatter, he probably lost his target. If the Heartless were truly on this planet, he'd have one hell of a time here, especially trying to get the guy to believe him about everything until something went wrong. He couldn't pull his original trick now, either.

With a heavy sigh, he opened his eyes and straightened himself, putting his hands on his hips and getting his aloof, yet casual stance back. He'd have to concentrate to track that energy signature in the midst of all these unfamiliars, but he'd find him again. He would need a new plan, though. How do you approach someone who doesn't know other worlds exist, for the sole purpose of telling them they don't belong on their planet and that you're there to take them away to where they're supposed to be? It seemed pretty impossible to Axel, but as he rounded the corner of the alleyway and caught up with the traces of the Keybearer's signature, he began to think it might just be too crazy not to believe.

* * *

**Okay, so things should be starting to make sense now. If you have any questions on what's going on, I'm sure they'll be answered in upcoming chapters! There's a loooot planned for this fic, so we're not even scratching the surface yet. **

**Also, I know this is cut and paste for a lot of authors, but please review. It makes me so excited to see new e-mails updating me on what's going on with my readers and their thoughts on my stories. c: Also, if you feel you can, constructive criticism (this does not mean flaming) is always more than welcome! I like to know what my readers think of my writing, and I'm doing this both for pleasure and to better myself as a writer. Thank you for all of your support! Next chapter is back to Riku!**

**Peace!**

**~Remi**


	4. Shadow

**No time to lose! Sorry for the wait, you guys! Let's get rolling! Chapter four, woo!**

It was black again. Not the consuming sort of black that suffocated and filled every part of a person, tainting and rotting their minds and their resolve; no, this was the darkness that slid and curled around the body, enveloping them in a soft shadow that numbed the body and mind. It was a kind of black that erased, deleting sound and feeling. He was deaf, blind, mute. He was nothing. Nothing was anything. It just simply... wasn't.

_Riku..._

He felt constricted.

Seconds flashed by, and suddenly, there was pain. Pain in his body, coming from something inside of him. But no, it wasn't some_thing_. It was some_where_. A long lost place, one he didn't recognize any longer. And yet, it called to him, like a mother to a child. It filled him with a dull pain that comforted him in the oddest sort of way. It was like a slowly burning, smoldering energy that repelled the dark; the dark that was unwilling to let go of him. It pulled, it pushed, it sunk its claws into his skin. It clung to him with every bit of itself, converging and concentrating to consume and suffocate. If it couldn't have him, no one would! This new intruder would be overcome!

_Riku..!_

There was a crack of light. It didn't shine on anything, just sat alone, piercing the darkness that surrounded it. He could move now, and he chose to do so, crawling and reaching for the light. His hand found some a surface of some sort, and with a gentle push, the darkness collapsed around him.

The air was clear, fresh--then it was foul, thick, and full of ash. He choked. Fire consumed the scene, an orange glow bathing broken buildings and cracked streets. Rubble burned to embers, the roads blanketed in thick ashes, grey snow that wouldn't melt under the unbearable heat of the fire. The overwhelming strength of the elements held command over him, and he stumbled, his knees hitting the ground as a sudden feeling of dread coated his bones.

The darkness was returning. The skies blackened. He could no longer breathe, his lungs tightening and contracting. He coughed, choking and gasping for what little fresh air the ashes allowed between their flakes, but the flames stole away his oxygen before his body could take it. He was quickly growing dizzy, faint, and hopeless. Yet still, the place inside called to him, keeping him together just a few seconds longer, however in vain the effort.

Lightning cracked across the sky. His eyes turned upward, and met a hand outstretched to him, lit by the fire and the wrath of the skies. The figure slowly came into view, revealing first the tone of his arm, his chest, his stomach, the muscles in his neck, his jaw line, the crimson hair, and finally... the eyes that pierced through the enclosing darkness, poisonous green and full of the fire burning around them. As his conscious thoughts gave way to the will to survive, he reached out and took hold of the stranger's hand. Upon contact, he felt a sudden surge of energy that rejuvenated him and called forth his strength. The place calling to him was ringing loud in his ears, even as the darkness raked against his skin, attempting to bring him down again.

_Riku… Riku, can you hear me?_

He could. The voice calling to him drowned the chaos in clarity, and as he stood, his eyes met the lips of the stranger. He heard the place's call again, and with the call, the lips moved.

_Riku…_

The voice belonged to the stranger. He could see that now.

_Can you hear me, Riku?_

He could only nod.

_You have to do something for me._

Riku opened his mouth to answer, but his voice was drowned by a booming thunder. His eyes flickered to the ground as it started to shake. A sudden grip of his hand brought his attention back to the stranger.

_You look terrified…_

Did he? Riku couldn't tell. He raised his hand, warm fingers brushing Riku's cheek as the battered street began to crack and fall apart between them. There was a blinding flash of lightning, and for a brief moment, the stranger's lips met his own. He felt a surge of electricity shock his entire body, and then the stranger leaned to kiss his ear, and he whispered to him.

_Wake up…_

The world froze around him, and the ground shattered beneath him. Slipping away from the grip of the stranger, Riku fell, unable to move of his own free will. There was a rush of wind against his ears, then sudden black and a sickening thud.

"—shit!"

Riku bolted forward, eyes wide and sweat beading on his face and chest. For a moment, the only sound in the room was of the teen's startled, quickened breaths. Then, there was a muttered curse. Riku pushed the covers away from his body and swung his legs over the side of the bed. _Another dream…_ He had no idea why such vivid images plagued him as of late, but each time they occurred, they made a harder impact on his mind and left him feeling physically drained, as if he'd been lifting weights instead of sleeping. Tonight was no exception.

Standing and heading for his bathroom, Riku felt a sudden wave of nausea attempt to knock him flat on his back. He caught himself on the wall, gripping the doorframe of the bathroom. He swallowed hard, and waited for the feeling to subside, instead leaving him with a pounding headache. This, Riku could deal with.

He pushed off of the wall, and moved into the bathroom, drawing water from the sink to splash into his face. The cool liquid refreshed him, and washed away the sweat from his brow. He leaned against the marble countertop, and tried to sort out his thoughts. That stranger in the dream… Who was he? Riku felt like he knew him somehow, but he couldn't place the familiarity. He was certain he'd never seen the man in his life, and yet he'd felt so strongly that he would help him, that he knew him. He'd even been kissed by him in that dream, and the sheer indescribable feeling that had enveloped him upon that kiss was unlike anything he'd ever felt in his life.

"… Great. I'm crushing on a guy." Riku brought a hand up to rub his forehead. "From a _dream_, too. What's wrong with me..?"

He looked up into the mirror. Somehow, his eyes seemed brighter than usual. Almost like they were glowing the same way the stranger's had. Riku squinted and started to lean in—but he stopped himself. _I must be crazy._

Stepping away from the mirror, Riku exited the bathroom and went to his bed. He stopped, standing beside it and looking at the window. The moon was high in the sky, full and brilliantly lighting the world under the dark veil of night. It was enticing, calling to him, almost. With a quick glance at the digital clock on his bedside table, Riku knew his family would be sleeping. There was no way he was getting outside without being caught if he tried walking out the front door.

He made his way over to his closet, pulling out a jacket and sliding it over his bare upper body. His knit pajama pants would be fine. With a quick, trained motion, he tied his hair back into a low ponytail and walked to the balcony of his bedroom. He closed the French doors behind him and moved to the edge of the stone attachment. Peering over the side, Riku saw a clear way down from the trellis next to him. It was elementary from there, getting to the ground.

Once his feet were planted on solid earth, Riku made his way out of the garden and the front gate. He would walk to the park, he decided. It was quiet and open, and he could think there without interruption or the suffocating feeling of home. It had always felt… wrong, living there. He got out as much as possible, even if he had nothing to do.

He kept a steady rhythm with his steps as he walked along the sidewalk, hands in the pockets of his jacket. It wasn't long before the feeling that stranger had given him started to creep into his mind again. It had felt strangely right, being near him, hearing that voice. Perhaps it wasn't a fairytale sort of love that he'd been feeling, but a sense of being home for the first time. His house never felt like home. This city, his school, in the presence of his 'friends'—no matter where he was, Riku felt like he wasn't where he belonged. When he truly thought of it, that man had given him his very first taste of it, and even if it had been in a dream, he saw it as reality. It was the only thing he had to compare to the suddenly _extremely_ unsatisfying life he'd been living all of his years. After all, it wasn't like he'd felt like he was destined for greatness since birth. He felt out of place, true, but never… special.

In fact, it had always been the opposite. He was the alien, behind the face he put on for his friends and family. He was the one who didn't fit in, the one no one understood. He knew this fact, even though he had a comfortable place in the social standing of the area. Perhaps no one else saw his abnormality. Perhaps they weren't able to perceive such a difference. But if that were the case, why was he..?

Before long, the concrete under his feet gave way to cobblestone. Grass lined the pathway on either side of him, and his autopilot setting switched itself to manual control. Riku looked up to see exactly where he was; he was met with a tree line and thin woods, high bushes, and a playground a ways ahead of him. He had successfully wandered his way through the dark midnight hours, and had arrived safely at the local park, perhaps the last shred of nature left in this concrete labyrinth the citizens called a city.

As if passing through a barrier, the next few steps gave a very sudden heaviness to the air, bringing a sort of alertness to Riku. It was strange, he thought, and he took a moment to glance about. Nothing looked out of place to him, but still he felt something was wrong. His suspicion was directed toward the acute sense that he was being watched. He took a few more steps, yet the feeling trailed after him, almost as if he were being followed, preyed upon. He shuddered, a sudden chill assaulting his spine, and continued forward toward the playground.

As he walked, the shadows at the edges of his eyes started to blur and fade into the path, eating away at it. He shook his head free of the illusion, blinking a few times and pausing. His eyes were playing tricks on him. Was he really that tired again already? Huh. Strange, he pondered, looking around without focusing on anything for a short time before he moved again.

"... This is stupid," Riku mused aloud, reaching out and touching the chains of an empty swing. '_What am I doing out here? Restless and sick because of a dream?_' He didn't think it made much sense, to take such a hard hit from something so intangible. Maybe he was just going crazy. Maybe _that_ was why he was so 'special'. He was a real piece of work.

… He was going to throw up if he didn't sit down.

A sudden wave of dizziness caused him to start to lose balance. He slid forward, caught himself in time to pivot on his heel, and landed safely, although a bit harshly, in the seat of the swing. This was just great. Maybe he really was getting sick? That was the cause of his dreams, he supposed, not insanity. He could just blame it on this... whatever it was. The dizziness, the nausea, the... pounding headache. The shifting shadows. The sounds.

The sounds?

Riku looked up, narrowing his eyes at the shadows. That sound was so odd, yet familiar, like... a metal button against drywall, or chalk on concrete. Or maybe... claws on cobblestone. His fingers tensed around the rubber covering the chains that held the swing up, his eyebrows furrowing. Another chill shook him to the core, and he audibly fought through it, eyes closing a bit. '_Calm down, Riku, you're just scaring yourself. There's nothing wrong, there's nothing _here_, stop freaking out. You're just dizzy and delusional, and you need to go home now._' And yet, he was startled even more by the thought that the word 'home' connected to his dream and the man in it, rather than his warm bed.

In his confusion, Riku didn't notice the increasing volume of the scratching noise until it was coming from two places nearby. He shook his head, trying to clear his thoughts before concentrating on the sound. He attempted to pinpoint it, finally catching sight of the literally shifting shadows. In an instant, he was to his feet, a feral terror striking deep in his bones. Whatever that was wasn't human, and he wasn't about to get attacked by a rabid animal.

He made a break for the path leading to the street, only to be cut off by what he could only describe as an otherworldly abomination. All he could see was black. No light reflected off of its surface, and everything that shined at it seemed to be swallowed, perhaps to fuel the glowing yellow orbs that must have been its eyes. It looked almost like a large bug, or a very rounded rodent, fat and short with jerky movements and strange, crooked antennae. All around it, darkness seemed to twirl and snake, as if it were smoldering obsidian, letting off smoke of its own existence. Claws scraped at the ground as the head of it twitched and pulsated, creating a third source for the alarming sound.

Without hesitation, a surge of adrenaline caused Riku to bolt to the side, down the only open path that led further into the park. Once his feet had a steady rhythm on the stone beneath them, Riku began to notice his ragged breathing and racing heartbeat, wrought with terror brought on by this unexplainable group of creatures hot on his trail. The noises quieted for a moment, still there, still behind him, but perhaps less of them? Riku thought for a split second that he had lost one of them, only to quickly find himself stumbling into the grass and crashing hard against the ground. His back stung as if someone had poured alcohol into an open wound, and he could tell by the weight adding to his shirt as the blood soaked through that he may just need that, if he got out of this mess.

He scrambled to get on his back, trying to crawl backwards away from the monsters, but there was no way to get away from them anymore. He caught a glimpse of yellow out of the corners of his eyes, and he knew he was surrounded. Blood dripped from the claws of one of the monsters, and it raised its skinny misshapen arms, leaping into the air over him. He let out a scream, and for a moment, Riku could have sworn he felt like home was calling him.

**Haaaaha. Cliffhanger time! I love you guys. C:**

**Read and Review, please~**

**Peace,**

**~Remi~**


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